| The War Report | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Capone-N-Noreaga | ||||
| Released | June 17, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | January 1996–April 1997 | |||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 70:43 | |||
| Label | Def Jam/Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records 03041 |
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| Producer | Charlemagne EZ Elpee Nashiem Myrick Carlos "6 July" Broady Naughty Shorts Tragedy Khadafi G-Money Buckwild Lord Finesse Marley Marl DJ Clark Kent |
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| Capone-N-Noreaga chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| The Source | [2] |
The War Report is the influential debut album by rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N for short). The album features the classics "L.A., L.A."; "T.O.N.Y."; "Neva Die Alone"; "Driver's Seat"; "Illegal Life"; "Capone Bone"; "Bloody Money"; "Closer"; "Iraq (See The World)"; and Noreaga's dedication to Capone, "Live on, Live Long." Tragedy Khadafi was in many ways the mastermind behind the project and was at the time considered an unofficial third member. He appears on more than half of the album's songs. Other guest appearances include Imam T.H.U.G., who appeared on the track "Driver's Seat"; Castro; Mussolini; Mendosa; Troy Outlaw; Mobb Deep. Despite its strong underground overtones, the album was, surprisingly, a commercial success, making 1997's Hip Hop/R&B Top Five.
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Considered a street classic by many, The War Report's signature sound was distinctively underground and hardcore for its time, a trademark that garnered the group outstanding street credibility. The unique chemistry of Noreaga's unorthodox lyrical delivery, combined with Capone's streetwise slang and Five Percenter references, established the duo as a household name within the hardcore hip hop community. Furthermore, the album created a large and devoted cult following for the group and launched the solo career of Noreaga, who subsequently went on to achieve significant mainstream success (most notably with the Neptunes-produced club anthem "Superthug").
More importantly, The War Report is often credited with reviving East Coast and hardcore hip hop, signaling a return to realistic and gritty hardcore street aesthetics (defined by unapologetic tales of violence and drugs) and spelling an end to the surrealistic, ostentatious, and fictional narratives of mafioso rap. Beginning in the end of 1996 and throughout 1997 (during the commercial height of Puff Daddy's pop-oriented Bad Boy Records during its Arista Records years), mafioso hip-hop gradually lost its critical acclaim within the underground scene from which it originated. As it crossed over into the mainstream, the concept was becoming increasingly generic and comatose (as seen with the hip hop supergroup the Firm, which rhymed almost exclusively about mafioso fantasies). Upon the release of The War Report, however, Capone and Noreaga brought new life into the gangsta rap sub-genre, becoming an instant underground phenomenon that foreshadowed the rise of similarly styled emcees who went on to cross into the mainstream for the remainder of the late 1990s (i.e., DMX, and Ja Rule) and into the following decade (i.e., 50 Cent and Jadakiss).
The success of the album managed the group to make a sequel titled The War Report 2: Report the War originally to be released on June 15, 2010, almost exactly 13 years after the original, but pushed back a month later to July 13, 2010.[3]
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Featured Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | Charlemagne | |
| 2 | "Bloody Money" | EZ Elpee | |
| 3 | "Driver's Seat" | Nashiem Myrick & Carlos "6 July" Broady for The Hitmen | Imam T.H.U.G. & Busta Rhymes |
| 4 | "Stick You" | Naughty Shorts | Tragedy Khadafi |
| 5 | "Parole Violators" | Tragedy Khadafi | Havoc & Tragedy Khadafi |
| 6 | "Iraq (See the World)" | EZ Elpee | Castro, Musaliny, Mendosa & Troy Outlaw |
| 7 | "Live On, Live Long" | G-Money, a.k.a. Ramell S. Gee, Brooklyn, New York, (GM704) | |
| 8 | "Neva Die Alone" | Buckwild | Tragedy Khadafi |
| 9 | "T.O.N.Y. (Top of New York)" | Nashiem Myrick & Carlos "6 July" Broady for The Hitmen | Tragedy Khadafi |
| 10 | "Channel 10" | Lord Finesse | Tragedy Khadafi |
| 11 | "Capone Phone Home" (Interlude) | ||
| 12 | "Thug Paradise" (album incorrectly lists "Stay Tuned (Interlude)," which is a different track that does not actually appear on any pressing) | D-Moet (uncredited) | Tragedy Khadafi |
| 13 | "Capone Bone" | Marley Marl | |
| 14 | "Halfway Thugs" | Charlemagne | |
| 15 | "L.A., L.A." (Kuwait Mix) | Marley Marl, J. Force (uncredited) | Mobb Deep & Tragedy Khadafi |
| 16 | "Capone-N-Noreaga Live" (Interlude) | ||
| 17 | "Illegal Life" | Tragedy Khadafi, Havoc | Havoc |
| 18 | "Black Gangstas" | Buckwild | Tragedy Khadafi |
| 19 | "Closer" (some pressings include the Sam Sneed remix of "Closer" in place of the original) | DJ Clark Kent | Nneka |
| 20 | "Capone Phone Home" (Outro) |
^Busta Rhymes' part is cut off before he starts. He only appears on the last 20 seconds of the song, ad-libbing to the hook. The songs "Stick You"; "Parole Violators"; "Halfway Thugs"; and "L.A., L.A (Kuwait Mix)" are partially edited, even though the album was released with an explicit-lyrics sticker.
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1996 | The War Report | 21 | 4 |
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1996 | "Illegal Life" | - | 84 | 18 | 18 |
| "L.A., L.A." | - | - | 39 | - | |
| 1997 | "T.O.N.Y. (Top of New York)" | - | 56 | 16 | - |
| "Closer" | - | 63 | 9 | - | |
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